Sarasota woman forcibly removed from plane after refusing to wear mask

FORT MYERS, Fla. — Wearing a mask inside an airport is required in Florida. 

A local woman found that out the hard way when police forcibly removed her from a plane at Southwest Florida International Airport on Wednesday morning. 

Lee County Port Authority Police say 23-year-old Adelaide Schrowang of Sarasota, refused to wear a mask. 

It gets worse. Flight attendants say Schrowang became irate and even spit on other passengers. 

The captain asked the police to get her off the plane. 

When she refused, they began to deboard the airplane until officers say she became even more aggressive, to the point that they had to forcibly remove her. 

The TSA issued a mask mandate for all U.S. airports through September 13, 2021. 

So what if you’re walking around the airport without your mask on? 

Port Authority officers will not pick people out of the crowd unless they get a complaint. Then they’ll hand you one of these warning slips.

If that message isn’t clear enough, you can’t go far without hearing it. 

“Failure to comply may result in removal and denial of reentry,” announced a voice over the airport’s sound system. “Refusing to wear a mask while at RSW is a violation of federal law and individuals may be subject to penalties under federal law.”

Schrowang remains locked up in the Lee County Jail where she faces several charges, including interfering with aircraft operations, resisting officers and trespass. 

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